A versatile singer, songwriter, lyricist, and actress, Kiki Dee has scored 10 hit singles over the course of a career now spanning four decades. Often credited as one of the finest British female vocalists, Kiki Dee has never followed any single path, singing pop, rock, soul, blues, disco, and world music, as well as issuing recordings in six different languages. Throughout her career, Dee has embraced musical diversity, which has freed her from ever becoming pigeonholed. As a result she has remained free to record and perform a wide variety of material. Her most famous song, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," was a duet with Elton John, which was released in 1976 and went to Number 1 in the U.K. Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Dee's recording career actually began long before that when she released her first album, I'm Kiki Dee in 1968. Late the following year, she became the first white woman ever to be signed to Berry Gordy's Tamla-Motown label, for which she recorded Great Expectations in 1970. After limited international success, she was signed to Elton John's Rocket Records label. Her first album for Rocket, 1973's Lovin' And Free was produced by Elton John and featured a diverse range of material, from string laden ballads to a gutsy horn-infused version of Free's "Travellin' In Style." Kiki Dee's breakthrough occurred with the follow-up album, I've Got The Music In Me, where Elton John again helped Dee achieve stylistic diversity while getting to the heart of each song. This 1974 album remains her most popular recording.
In 1974, Dee embarked on a American tour opening for Steely Dan, this tour captures the Kiki Dee Band in their prime. Dee had assembled a remarkable band for the tour featuring Toby "Bias" Boshell, a veteran of the British folk-rock band Trees as her musical director on keyboards. The group also featured ex-Joan Armatrading guitarist Jo Partridge, veteran Liverpool drummer Pete Clarke, bassist Mike Wedgewood, and B.J. Cole, one of the greatest and most widely respected British session musicians on pedal steel guitar. Though she ended up doing most of her work as a solo artist, her time with the group was very successful. She has continued to release music as a solo artist into her 60s.